


Valhalla can't wait

by Fearain



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers: Endgame (Movie) Spoilers, Bittersweet, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Heaven AU, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Spoilers, Valhalla, agent romanoff did you miss me?, i guess, the original duo being reunited, the original two avengers, very very bittersweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-14
Updated: 2019-05-14
Packaged: 2020-03-05 09:38:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18826048
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fearain/pseuds/Fearain
Summary: ENGDAME SPOILERS“just tony and nat being happy and healthy in valhalla together“ inspired by that post of Nat smirking and Tony's iconic “did you miss me?“





	Valhalla can't wait

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by this post, have seen it around elsewhere too and just had to.  
> https://www.instagram.com/p/Bw3H1jlgYFO/?utm_source=ig_share_sheet&igshid=138ga01tgr6vw
> 
> My babies are safe now and I might still be crying. Join me in my sadness & leave a comment thanks
> 
> (Also I kept the heaven/afterlife/valhalla thing pretty shadowy so interpret it in any way you want, yes, valhalla doesnt work that way, idk thor let them in, no, i dont know where loki n gamora are, the focus here is on nat and tony)

There's a pleasant chilliness emanating from the divine drink in her hand, the taste lingering on her tongue and, she noted curiously, seemingly changing into whatever she desired at that point. She felt at peace.  
Watching over them, their silent guardian. Not that there was anything more she could do now, but if she's ever had any faith, it was in her family. Still, she cannot bear to see them suffer, briefly closing her eyes, escaping everything. Time moves differently in this place she'd noticed, enjoying the quietness that came with the darkness behind her eyelids. Her other senses more alert now, she registered that it was truly unnaturally quiet. No cars, people, nature, any white noise you'd normally suddenly tune into when closing your eyes and sharpening your ears. Too quiet, all her instincts screamed at her until she willed them to calm down and relaxed her tensed muscles, leaning back in the beachchair-like seat she sat in. It became a pleasant silence.  
Until-

_Coz I shoot to thrill_

The familiar lyrics blaring made her ususally sharp mind go dizzy with insinuations and her eyes snapped open in shock. She then squeezed them shut again in denial, feeling herself choke up. The matching voice spoke up from behind her. “Agent Romanoff, did you miss me?“

A lopsided smirk split her face, but her eyes were glistening as softly shook her head. “Tony...“ she reprimanded his choice of humor in this situation and but then continued much softer. “Of course I did, shellhead.“

She didn't remember standing up, but she suddenly found herself holding him in a tight hug. Tony Stark, short as ever, still smelling over grease, metal and - a new addition -  pinetrees, clung to her with the same ferocity, burying his face in her shoulder. Natasha pulled back a little to cup his cheek in her left hand and studying his face. “Just didn't think you'd join me this timely,“ she added quietly through her teary smile.

  
He closed his eyes in a pained grimace and grabbed hold of  her hand still on his shoulder. “I missed you too, Nat.“  
“Oh 'Nat'? No nicknames? Tony Stark being serious, wow, “ she teased and he gave a weak chuckle.

“Yes, I was trying to actually be serious here because, because it..this..you - it should'nt have happened. I'm so sorry, we didn't plan, didn't think to ask-“

  
“Who? Who would you have gone to and asked?“ Natasha interrupted firmly. “Tony, there was no way, nobody who could have known...“ she stopped with a shake of her head, but he knew her well enough.

  
“What it takes?“ he finished her sentence and got a slow nod in response, her eyes unfocused and looking over his shoulder into the distance.

“Whatever it takes,“ Nat recited quietly.

“Yeah.“ Tony's reply was nothing more than a sigh and he stepped back from her fully, dragging his hand over his face, trying to regain his composure. “So this is.. IT, huh?“

Not that she couldn't see right through him, but Nat humored him with a half-shrug as a response. “What did you expect?“

He looked around half-heartedly, not being able to make out any clear shape except for Nat in front of him and not daring to fully look away and let her out of his sight. With a quiet sniff he admitted, “Could't be heaven without my family being here.“

“Aww, I'm touched.“

  
She received a teary smile as he continued, “I also dearly hope that no one else of my family joins us here.“

Nat tilted he head and gave a slow nod, then waved a hand at the ground.  
“Should we...sit?“  
The ground suddenly had the inviting allure of a big beanbag or maybe a meadow in the sun and they settled down, Tony leaning back on his hands and stretching his legs out, Natasha hugging one bent leg to her chest next to him.

“Did you follow the events?“

He motioned down to... was that a screen in front of them now? Natasha didn't really know, nor quite understood the mechanics of this place. “Yeah, I can just kinda...see them? No idea how this place works.“ She shrugged lightly.

Tony gave her a lopsided smirk. “And doesn't that frustrate your perfectionist brain?“

That was rich, coming from him, and her incredulous scoff betrayed her thoughts.  
“Same back to you stark, honestly.“

Tony hummed contemplatively and then looked around, also noticing her drink from earlier. “Wait. So nectar of the gods and all that.This is Valhalla then? Heaven? Pointbreak? Thor, you here?“  
He twisted around but couldn't make out anything except for a faint golden glow in the distance.

Nat shook her head in amusement.  
“Dork. That's not how Valhalla works. Thor wouldn't be here because he's not.. well-“ she straightened her back a little and looked off to the side, “because he's not dead.“

“Huh. So. Valhalla. Resting place of the Gods and Warheroes. How did we get in then? Special honours? And everybody else here is what, giving us space? Apparently... Imagine if they all just came running towards you. That'd be terrifying. I'd be terrified. How come you know all of that?“

How she had missed his ramblings.  
“I did my homework, too, after Clint got beaten up in New Nexico and Coulson told me about the Thor incident.“

  
Tony accepted that answer with a nod that quickly turned into a frown. “New Mexico?...but you were with me around that time?“

“I can multitask.“

“Right, of course.“ He let his gaze wander and finally looked down his right side with a huff. “Huh, this looks better than I remember.“

“Well that's a first.“

“Ha-ha. It's true though. After what I did, my body should look a lot more.. fried than this.“ He peeked down his shirt, looking for his older scars and came up short-handed. “Huh. Interesting.“

Nat frowned and systematically patted along her left side with her right hand and came up short on all the scars that she knew should be there. The changes in her expression were minuscle but he'd known her long enough to see the the confusion and sadness. "They weren't pretty... but they made me who I am."

Tony's tone was equally quiet. "You are so much more than just your past." He scoffed, amused with himself. "I should know, of all people. You're their guardian now."

"That's right, we are," she emphazised, nodding to herself, "they may be gone, but you, me, our sacrifice, wont be forgotten." Her eyes fell onto the image of Lila and Morgan sitting outside in the sunshine, drawing colourful flowers, surrounded by their big, mismatched family.

Tony followed her gaze. "There wouldn't have been any other way for us, though. We wouldn't have stopped until they were all safe. This was.." He couldn't suppress the sniffle causing his choked up voice to break, looking down at his girls. "...this was the only way."

Nat scooted closer to him and he took the quiet offer of physical comfort. "Yes, you're right. They're safe. We watch over them now." Her voice matched their heavy peace. "They're safe. We saved them..." She could feel Tony's shoulder lift and fall as he drew in a big breath and let it out in a sigh. His voice seemed to have lost some of this weight on his shoulders.

"We saved them. Not all of them."

"Not all of them," she conceded with a tilt of her head.

"But they're safe now." More weight lifted from his shoulders as the physical weight of his head carefully rested on hers. "And we can finally find peace? Because this, this is it now.. our legacy." Tony's voice rose in a quiet question and he could feel her nod rather than see it.

Natasha leaned her head against his on her shoulder and followed his gaze into the distance.  
"Our legacy. We made it."


End file.
